Foam rolling gets both overhyped and dismissed depending on who's asked — the honest middle ground is that it has real, modest benefits worth understanding rather than a miracle recovery tool.
It temporarily improves range of motion
Rolling a muscle group before training can temporarily increase range of motion, which is genuinely useful heading into a session requiring more flexibility.
It's a comfort and readiness tool, not a strength builder
Foam rolling doesn't build strength or fix long-term tightness on its own — it's best understood as a short-term readiness and comfort tool alongside actual training and stretching.